How Often Should You Upgrade Your PC for Gaming?

When getting a new, custom gaming PC, it is hard to think that more modern components will perform better than the older versions in upcoming years. But through every generation of new parts, a previous generation of desktop PCs gets phased out due to obsolescence of older hardware. This progressive march of upgrading looks nonstop, leaving some gamers with the fear their system won’t be able to play the latest games, so let us discuss how often to upgrade a gaming PC.

Desktop PC hardware falls off in performance every 2 to 4 years and becomes obsolete every 8-10. To maintain your gaming PC’s performance for the newest games, you should upgrade your desktop or laptop about as often as this cycle. Even if you don’t replace your gaming computer entirely, you should upgrade the individual hardware components every few years to keep up with the latest titles.

This leaves you just four years to adjust and incrementally upgrade your gaming PC, prolonging by upgrading components in a system. That said, these are general guides. There are various other signs your gaming PC needs an upgrade sooner rather than later.

Incremental PC Upgrades in New Computer Hardware

Learning to upgrade parts of a new computer can be an excellent way to squeeze more life out of a system. If you don't want to replace everything, mainly the motherboard and power supply entirely, there are a few constrictions with what you can do to upgrade a slow PC without fully rebuilding it. Let's focus on the four main PC components: The CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage. 

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

If your system does not have the highest chipset in your motherboard’s supported socket, you can gain some game performance by upgrading your Central Processing Unit or CPU. Using the latest Intel CPUs, performance can increase up to 14% when going from a mid-range CPU like the 12600K to the 12900K. The difference is even more significant if you have an even lower version of the 12th series, like an i3.

Upgrading to a new processor is more important for certain resource intensive tasks and playing newer games than others. For example, video editing requires beefier processing units for rendering. Likewise, certain game and game genres, like real-time strategy or MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV, are more CPU intensive due to the number of computer-controlled elements or sheer number of assets needed to run.

Motherboard

As the motherboard holds everything together, when the latest hardware releases, the BIOS of the board must update for every new generation of the operating system or piece of hardware. Any operating system updates not installed eventually leads to slower performance and overall poorer efficiency in the system. Most manufacturers release updates for their boards over 8-10 years after their launch.

If you are curious about if your motherboard needs operating system upgrades, look at the board designation and revision number (Located on the bottom left of the board) and consult the manufacturer's website.

Graphics Card or Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

A new GPU upgrade depends on two factors; support for the latest hardware via the BIOS and the limitation of a PSU. Having a high wattage PSU allows most graphics cards to meet the system power demands, but a 500W PSU will not meet the power requirements of an RTX 3070/3080/3090. A GPU power cable can deliver 300W per rail (per wire into the PSU) as a good rule of thumb. A 3090 has a maximum TDP of 450W, meaning it needs to direct PSU wires to compensate for power spikes. If a PSU does not have at least two dedicated connections on separate cables, it may not be optimal for that particular GPU upgrade. 

Memory (RAM)

A RAM upgrade depends on a board's ability to support given RAM frequencies. Every board manufacturer has a manual for every model supporting given frequencies that can also be found in a Google search. If it’s a DIY rig, make sure XMP or DOCP is turned on and see the maximum support speed from the board and RAM. More RAM gives your PC more memory capacity meaning you can run more programs at once.

Storage & Disk Space

Most consumer storage warranties last for five years on a product. Depending on the type, there is some variation in when they fail as things like mechanical drives are prone to constant vibrations from mechanical parts. NVMe is known to be more reliable and faster in speed but fails in the same way every storage solution can over time. 

Adding a new hard drive (HDD) is a good way to upgrade your gaming PC’s storage space. That said, if you have the ability to, upgrading to or adding a solid state drive (SSD) can be better due to the increased speed.

Cooling

While cooling is a contested subject that is easier to maintain, air cooling vs. water cooling will always be at odds. Watercooled systems (AIOS) last at most 5-7 years in decent condition, while Aircooled (Heatsinks) is the most simple and reliable for better performance. Heatsinks can last almost indefinitely if they are cleaned and maintained routinely. 

What You Can do to Make Your New Computer Lasts 5-10 Years

There are a few good habits to get into when addressing the lifespan of a PC to last the estimated 5 to 10 years. Here are a few bulletins:

• Make sure you clean out your PC yearly to combat the build-up of dust which reduces airflow and component health.
• Run benchmarks outlining the integrity of components for both the CPU and GPU benefits. It's also good to replace the thermal paste on the CPU every two years.
• See what incremental upgrades a system can take before calling it obsolete. 

RMA support and when support for parts stops

Usually, when a new generation of new computer hardware releases, it has a shelf life before a majority switch to the newer generation of components. You can find previous generations on sale in lower quantities at a somewhat stable resale value. Depending on the component type, the price can either skyrocket or stay relatively the same if the resale consumer market is abundant enough with offers.

Due to this life cycle, processors and other components that aren't more than a few years old are often less supported on the manufacturer level. If anything is wrong with them, their value is either returned to the consumer or, in extreme cases, the consumer receives an upgrade to the part they originally sent in. This practice states a component is no longer viable for support and is starting its descent into obsoletion.

Components that are the Most Sturdy in the System

The longest-lasting part of systems (depending on the certification) is the power supply, with the highest quality certificate being titanium, which can last upwards of 12 years. Depending on the certification, the PSU can lose reliability starting from 5 years up to 10 years. The timing works for replacing individual components with the most up-to-date parts in desktop computers, moving away from an obsolescent system.

Wrapping up How Often to Upgrade Your Gaming PC

When a system reaches its point of obsolescence, it's time to upgrade; at Apex Gaming PCs, we offer the most modern components in your new PC and those near the principle for multiple price points. If you need help upgrading to one of our systems, feel free to go onto our site and chat with a representative who can help. Whatever your system needs, we hope to fulfill them at Apex!

Written by Will Wilson

Updated: 7/11/24